Salem, OR Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Use classification
- 'Animal services', SRC § 400.120(e)
- Grandfather cutoff
- Operating since before July 14, 1994
- State license required
- Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
- RS zone status
- Existing facility conditional; new facility not allowed
- Excluded species
- Cougars, wolves, and bears
Summary
Salem's UDC treats a wildlife rehabilitation facility as an 'animal services' land use rather than issuing a city wildlife-rescue permit. State-licensed facilities operating since before July 14, 1994 are grandfathered as a conditional or permitted use depending on the zone, per SRC 111.001, but most zones bar any brand-new facility outright.
Existing wildlife rehabilitation facility means any building, structure, or land which is occupied or being used by a wildlife rehabilitator who is licensed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and actively engaged in wildlife rehabilitation as of July 14, 1994. Wildlife rehabilitation means the restoration of injured, sick, or immature wildlife, except cougars, wolves, and bears, that are native to Oregon to a condition where they are capable of being released into the wild or, if incapable of survival on their own, retained for educational purposes or transferred to an organization, educational institution, museum, publicly funded zoo, or other facility as determined by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Wildlife rehabilitator means an individual who is licensed as a wildlife rehabilitator by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and actively engaged in wildlife rehabilitation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
120(e) folds wildlife rehabilitation facilities into the 'animal services' use classification alongside animal day care, grooming, and veterinary services. 001 defines 'wildlife rehabilitation' as restoring injured, sick, or immature wildlife native to Oregon, except cougars, wolves, and bears, to a condition where the animal can be released, kept for education, or transferred to a zoo or similar facility as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife determines, and it requires the person doing that work to be a licensed 'wildlife rehabilitator' under ODFW. An 'existing wildlife rehabilitation facility' is defined as one occupied by a licensed rehabilitator and actively operating as of July 14, 1994, a cutoff that grandfathers older operations rather than opening the door to new ones.
005, Table 511-1, for the RS single-family zone lists 'Existing wildlife rehabilitation facility' as a conditional (C) use and 'all other animal services' as not allowed (N), meaning a brand-new wildlife rescue can't locate in an RS zone at all. Other zone tables in the code follow the same pattern, barring 'new wildlife rehabilitation facility' outright (N) while other animal services are permitted, or listing 'wildlife rehabilitation facilities' generally as conditional (C) uses requiring a public hearing. In every zone, state licensing under ODFW is required on top of, not instead of, whatever zoning status applies.
Violations & Fines
Operating a wildlife rehabilitation facility in a zone where the use table marks it 'N' (not allowed), or starting a new facility where the code only grandfathers an existing licensed operation, is a UDC violation enforceable under SRC 110.065 and 110.070, on top of separate state penalties for rehabilitating wildlife without an ODFW license. Falsifying an application for the conditional use approval a facility does need is a misdemeanor under SRC 110.155.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a new wildlife rescue in a Salem residential zone?
Does Salem require a special city permit to rehabilitate injured wildlife?
What counts as a grandfathered wildlife rehabilitation facility in Salem?
Are cougars, wolves, or bears covered by Salem's wildlife rehabilitation rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salem
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